The billionaire philanthropist has often been accused by
hardliner Orban over the past two years of interfering in
European Union affairs by backing open borders and pro-refugee
policies and organisations.

"European policy is distorted... The essence of Europe is
not in Brussels but in the member states and if the
institutions don't respect the member states, that is
depressing," he said in an interview on public radio.

The strongman's latest attack came after the European
Parliament on Wednesday passed a resolution calling on the
European Commission to trigger a legal procedure known as
Article Seven of the EU treaty.

The article, referred to as the bloc's "nuclear option",
could lead to the suspension of Hungary's voting rights in the
Council of Ministers, the EU's highest decision-making body.

However, the EU would need unanimity of member states to
establish that a violation has taken place and ally Poland
would likely block it.

In addition, the European Commission, the executive of
the 28-nation EU, is advocating more dialogue with Budapest to
iron out disagreements, saying last month it saw no "systemic
threat" to the rule of law in Hungary.

Nonetheless, Orban took aim at the parliamentary
resolution, saying on public radio it was "the mark of a
mistaken policy."

The resolution, which passed by 393 votes to 221 in
Strasbourg, said "recent developments in Hungary have led to a
serious deterioration in the rule of law, democracy and
fundamental rights which is testing the EU's ability to defend
its founding values".

It was backed by 68 lawmakers from the European People's
Party (EPP) group, which includes Orban's right-wing Fidesz
party.

Orban said the real reason behind the resolution was the
issue of migration.

Budapest and Brussels have been at odds over Hungary's
hardline stance on immigration, described as a "Trojan horse
of terrorism" by Orban.

The prime minister accused Soros of masterminding an
"intellectual, political, and economic interest group in
Europe" who want to flood the continent with hundreds of
thousands of migrants.

The EP resolution also called for strict monitoring of
the use of EU funds for Hungary, and the suspension of
controversial legislation on higher education and NGOs.

Last month, the European Commission launched legal action
against Hungary over a law that could shut the prestigious
Soros-founded Central European University in Budapest.

It has also threatened to launch infringement procedures
in June against Hungary and Poland over their refusal to take
their share of migrants as part of an EU plan to distribute
asylum-seekers around the bloc members. Infringement
procedures could lead to fines.